4 Money-Saving Tips for Your Kitchen Remodel

Remodelling your kitchen can pan out to be one of the most expensive remodelling jobs around the house. This closes out many homeowners who need better functionality from their kitchens but are on a strict budget. Taking the job apart and planning carefully, however, can help you land the kitchen you want without having to sell of one of your children on the black market. Read on for easy tips that will add up to thousands of dollars in savings.

Avoid expensive customization

If you're on a budget, forego that decorative moulding and premium finish on your wooden cabinets, which are huge money drainers. Instead, shop around at local home-improvement stores where you can find cabinets cheaper than custom-made ones. You might find crazy discounts on cabinets, which are usually sold very cheaply once the shop is ready to change their display. Additionally, painting is more costly in both labour and materials, so consider staining instead.

Shop around, a lot!

You don't have to use the contractor to source materials, since they are likely to go to their regular suppliers. Don't just go to big-box retail stores either; find out where the contractors shop and see if you can get your stuff there. You'll find better discounts and more variety.

If you don't mind buying used, you can find entire kitchens in places like Craigslist and local salvage stores. You can find and repurpose good quality marble, granite, woodwork, plumbing, lighting fixtures and even appliances for a fraction of the cost of buying new.

Find your own materials

Granite counters are the ideal we all strive towards, but they are can be rather costly. Put on your walking shoes and head out to as many marble shops as you can – you'll be surprised to find vast differences in cost and pricing. Since you're carrying out a much smaller job, ask them if they have slab remnants; they usually sell these cheaper since they cannot be redirected to bigger clients who buy in bulk. Your contractor can find creative ways to put them together without making your kitchen surfaces look bad. Be flexible on other material choices, like your tiles. You may find cheaper options that look just as nice as the luxury tiles you want.

Put your own team together

Instead of having a general contractor to handle everything, you can get someone to do the painting, another to do the plumbing and so forth. This will create more work for you, so ensure that you're available for hands-on coordination of the various teams. You should also have a bit of construction background to make it easier.

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